Tigers Open 11-Game Baseball Homestand With 11-7 Win Over Western Carolina

April 4, 2000

CLEMSON, S.C. – The seventh-ranked Clemson Tigers defeated Western Carolina 11-7 Tuesday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium behind 14 hits, including at least one by nine different Tigers.

Tiger shortstop Jeff Baker went 4-for-5 with two RBIs. He knocked in the go-ahead runs in the third inning with a two-run double, and later added two singles and another double. His four hits were a career best.

Western Carolina (10-24) got off to an early 2-0 lead, scoring two unearned runs in the second inning. Austin Smithwick reached first base on a Clemson throwing error by Baker. Smithwick advanced to second on a single by Charlie Wands and later scored on another single by Tracy Biggs. Wands, who moved to third on the base hit by Biggs, scored the Catamounts second run on a sacrifice fly by Jeremy Hamrick.

Jarrod Schmidt put the Tigers on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second with a solo home run to left-centerfield. The homer was his second of the season.

Clemson (25-6) took the lead in the third after scoring four runs. The Tigers opened the inning with two doubles and a triple. Casey Stone led off with a double and then scored on another double by Ryan Hub. Hub then scored on a triple by Brian Ellis. After a Khalil Greene single, Baker followed with a two-run double.

Clemson stretched its lead to 6-2 in the fourth inning when Stone scored on a sacrifice fly by Patrick Boyd.

In the fifth inning, Western Carolina scored two more runs on a Smithwick double that scored Rod Goldston and Morgan Frazier to pull within two runs. The Tigers added another run in the fifth on an RBI double by Mike Calitri. Each team scored twice in the sixth.

All nine starters for Western Carolina got a hit in the game while eight of the nine Tiger starters got hits. Clemson scored in every inning but the first. Schmidt and Calitri each had two hits and two RBIs. Wands led the Catamounts with three hits and an RBI.

Kevin Lynn got the win for the Tigers after entering the game in the fifth inning in relief of starter Ryan Childs. Lynn, who improved to 2-0, pitched 3.1 innings, allowing three runs and six hits. Western Carolina’s Joe Camac got the loss in his first decision of the year and second start of his career.

Clemson will play host to Furman Wednesday night at 7:15 PM. The game will not be televised by College Sports Southeast as previously announced. Clemson will start freshman righthander Paul Harrelson.